Heretofore, a drum brake assembly pivoted an adjusting pawl on one brake shoe and engaged the pawl with a ratchet wheel of an extendible member to provide for adjustment of the extendible member when the running clearance between a pair of brake shoes and a rotatable member was excessive. In addition, a parking lever was pivotally mounted to the one brake shoe or the other brake shoe and engaged with the extendible member so as to move the pair of brake shoes from a non-braking position to a braking position when the parking lever was rotated or moved by a vehicle operator.
Moreover, a hydraulic actuator was operable to move the pair of brake shoes to the braking position. The hydraulic actuator included a pair of pistons which carried hardened stops or plugs to engage the pair of brake shoes, so as to protect the pistons at the point of contact with the pair of brake shoes.